NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Lindenwood men's basketball (7-10, 1-3 OVC) falls short of the win at Tennessee State (9-9, 2-3 OVC) by a final score of 60-75. The Lions were outscored by 15 points in the second half after being tied at the half.

"Defensively we gave a great effort for a long time tonight, but our struggles on offense were too much to overcome," said head coach Kyle Gerdeman. "Not the way we hoped to finish the week, but 1-1 on the road trip this time of year is a step in the right direction for us."

Keenon Cole once again for the leading scorer for the Lions after dropping 20 points on Saturday. Despite only shooting 3-9 from the field, Cole hit a season high 14 foul shots. Lindenwood as a team was excellent at the line shooting 25-29 from there.

The Tigers of TSU started the game off to a 9-2 start as Jason Jitoboh scored seven of TSU's first 11 points. Cole was also scoring often for the Lions early on scoring the first six points. Both defenses were tough early on including Lindenwood's who held Tennessee State scoreless from the 16:34 mark to the 10:57 mark.

McDaniel's got on the board early to cut the lead to 12-13 including a two-handed dunk assisted by Darius Beane. McDaniel ended the game with six points and three rebounds. TSU went on a 6-0 run after that point to go up 12-19.

Both a flagrant and a technical foul was called on Michael Shanks in the first half to led Cole to the line to make four consecutive free throws to cut into the lead at 18-19. Both teams went on runs to end the quarter including a play that saw Nathan Johnson Jr. score a layup as time expired to enter the half tied at 30.

Cole and Johnson Jr. combined for 17 point at the half as LU shot 11-28 from the field in the first 20 minutes. They were held to 0-8 as a team in the first half. For TSU, Jitoboh and Christian Brown scored all but one field goal in the first half.

Both teams traded baskets to start the second quarter which saw Beane score to open up the half. Beane finished the game with six points, six rebounds and five assists for the Lions. TSU gained momentum at the 15:33 mark when Brown hit a three to extend their lead to 37-42.

Two minutes late, Tennessee State jumped out to a game high 12 point lead at the time after a layup by Jaylen Jones. Lindenwood cut the lead to as low as eight with 11 minutes remaining but could not catch up to the Tigers after they scored 45 points in the second half.

Isaac Ondekane was the second leading scorer for the Lions after dropping 11 points on Saturday which tied his career high. He shot 3-4 from the field and went 5-5 from the foul line. Johnson Jr. also scored eight points in the loss.

Lindenwood returns home on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. CT as they take on the Cougars of SIUE in Hyland Arena. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.